David Sarnoff (Belarusian: Даві́д Сарно́ў, Russian: Дави́д Сарно́в, February 27, 1891 – December 12, 1971) was an American businessman and pioneer of American radio and television. Throughout most of his career he led the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in various capacities from shortly after its founding in 1919 until his retirement in 1970.He ruled over an ever-growing telecommunications and consumer electronics empire that included both RCA and NBC, and became one of the largest companies in the world. Named a Reserve Brigadier General of the Signal Corps in 1945, Sarnoff thereafter was widely known as "The General."Sarnoff is credited with Sarnoff's law, which states that the value of a broadcast network is proportional to the number of viewers.
Freedom is the oxygen without which science cannot breathe.
2
I have learned to have more faith in the scientist than he does in himself.
3
Atoms for peace. Man is still the greatest miracle and the greatest problem on this earth. [First message sent with atomic-powered electricity, 27 January 1954]
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Fact
1
He was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2013 for his services to enterprise.
2
Grandfather of Rosita Sarnoff (born 1943) of New York City.
3
He would mispronounce the great conductor Arturo Toscanini's name as "Toscaninny" (it was not intended as an insult).
Twice made the cover of Time Magazine, almost exactly 32 years apart: July 15, 1929, and July 23, 1951.
7
David Sarnoff was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.
8
Founded The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and is credited for being the premier innovator of radio and television.
9
Became President of RCA Victor at age 32.
10
Invented the idea of linking radio stations nationally over telephone lines, eventually leading to the foundation of NBC.
11
Long claimed to have picked up the first distress signals from the ship that was trying to rescue the Titanic. In 1977 Carl Dreher, an RCA engineer, revealed in Sarnoff: An American Success that the Marconi station was not in operation that night and Marconi had in fact closed the station in the Wanamaker Building.
12
Children: Robert, William and Thomas Warren
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
RCA Television Exhibit at New York Worlds Fair
1939
TV Movie executive producer
NBC/RCA Experimental Television Demonstration for the Press
1936
TV Movie executive producer
First Television Broadcast NBC/RCA
1936
Documentary short executive producer
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Susan and God
1938
TV Movie
Introducer / Himself
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Bell Telephone Hour
1967
TV Series
Himself
Person to Person
1954
TV Series documentary
Himself - President of RCA
The Ed Sullivan Show
1953
TV Series
Himself
Mid Century: Half Way to Where?
1950
Short documentary
Himself - RCA Chairman
Toscanini: The Television Concerts, Vol. 1 - Music of Wagner
1948
TV Special documentary
Himself (in original 1948 broadcast only) (uncredited)
RCA Television Exhibit at New York Worlds Fair
1939
TV Movie
Himself
NBC/RCA Experimental Television Demonstration for the Press
1936
TV Movie
Himself
First Television Broadcast NBC/RCA
1936
Documentary short
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Modern Marvels
1999
TV Series documentary
Himself
Silicon Valley: A 100 Year Renaissance
1998
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio
1991
Documentary
Himself - with Marconi at RCA (uncredited)
Toscanini: The Maestro
1985
Documentary
Himself
The 1st TV Academy Hall of Fame
1984
Himself - Winner
Known for movies
NBC/RCA Experimental Television Demonstration for the Press (1936) as Producer
RCA Television Exhibit at New York Worlds Fair (1939) as Producer
First Television Broadcast NBC/RCA (1936) as Producer
Mid Century: Half Way to Where? (1950) as Himself - RCA Chairman
$7 Million
